This Week in Weird

A roundup of odd news reported by GateHouse newspapers this past week.

Elderly couple finds undressed stranger in their home

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. -- An elderly couple found an unwelcome surprise Monday night when they returned to their home -- a stranger in his underwear asleep on their bedroom floor.

The man, who police identified as 27-year-old Ryan Lundberg of Marlborough, was arrested after police arrived about 7:30 p.m. The homeowners, who asked not to be identified, said they waited outside after discovering Lundberg, who did not wake up until police arrived.

After entering the house, Lundberg stripped to his underwear and left his clothes throughout the house, according to a police report.

Police found Xanax, a tranquilizer, amoxicillin, an antibiotic, and glyburide, a medication for diabetics, in the pockets of Lundberg's pants, which were on the kitchen counter, according to the report. Police also found gold jewelry, which did not belong to the homeowners. Lundberg told police he did not know who owned the jewelry but said it did not belong to him, according to police.

Wild turkey slams into storefront window

CARTHAGE, Mo. - It might be pilot error or suicide, but in this case, the pilot will end up on someone's dinner table.

Shocked onlookers had to duck as a wild turkey flew low along a busy street and plunged headfirst into a plate-glass window.

The Rev. Francisco Bonilla was standing with friends and talking in a parking lot nearby when the low-flying bird came by.

"We were talking across the street and I noticed something black was flying toward us. It was so low we had to duck as it flew by at probably 18 to 20 miles per hour. It hit the window and split it into a thousand pieces," Bonilla said.

The 35-pound gobbler lay dead on the sidewalk as Bonilla and friends worked to put plywood over the shattered window.

Bonilla said the group had not figured out who would get the downed fowl, but someone would eat well in the next couple of days.

SOMERVILLE, Mass. -- According to police, 17-year-old Victor Rodriguez was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after he threw a clipboard in another man’s face.

Police said Rodriguez and two friends were soliciting donations for the “Walk for Hunger cause,” and had approached the victim about giving money to the charity. According to reports, the victim told the men that he donated at work. The victim told police Rodriguez kept insisting on a donation, finally provoking the victim to push him away, at which point Rodriguez threw his clipboard at his face, cutting his lip.

When questioned, Rodriguez told police the victim was the one being overly aggressive, and that he had pushed him several times. Rodriguez told police he was only defending himself when he threw his clipboard.

Man fined for dirt-bike stunt in store

MASSILLON, Ohio -- A 34-year-old man was fined $300 this week for a dirt-bike stunt inside Wal-Mart in January.

Municipal Court Judge C. Roland Centrone found the man guilty of criminal damaging and disorderly conduct by intoxication, both misdemeanors, according to court records.

About 2:05 a.m. on Jan. 20, the man rode a Honda 50 mini dirt bike inside a Supercenter Wal-Mart. The man, wearing a red-and-black helmet, took the bike up and down food aisles until a store employee knocked him off the bike, police said.

The man got back on the bike and fled the store, getting into a pickup truck. Officers caught up with the man later.

GateHouse News Service

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